The Three Failures
by SpiritWolf284
Summary: What happens when a mysterious shinobi provides an offer that will take three shinobi on path with new discoveries, new strengths and a touch of romance. Full summary inside.
1. The Beginning

A/N: Hello, please understand that this is my first fan fiction and I will try my best with this story and I can guarantee that I will get better as I get more and more used to this. I will also try to update regularly, not just for anyone reading, but because if I do then I know I will get done. Plus I'm a bit of a procrastinator so setting a deadline should help.

**Summary:** What happens when a mysterious shinobi shows up with an interesting offer involving three different shinobi? Follow these three shinobi as they go through many different adventures filled with new strengths, discoveries, and a village thought to be destroyed. Follow these three as they go experience joy, sadness, anger and romance. These three aren't coming back to Konoha the same as when they left it.

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Demon/curse mark speech"**

'_**Demon/curse mark thoughts/ inner Sakura'**_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did Naruto and Hinata would be together already.

**The Three Failures**

**Chapter 1**

Pain. All he could feel was pain. Each foot dragged as he carried on towards his destination. It was getting harder and harder to breathe with each step he took, but he couldn't stop, not until he reached those gates, or find help, whichever came first. He looked over to the extra baggage he was dragging back, the cause of his pain. Bluish black hair with blood dripping down greeted his eyes. Looking closer he could see the pale face graced with unconsciousness, although he knew behind those closed eyelids were a set of serious onyx eyes that watch as if superior to their opponent. That's right; he was dragging **the** Uchiha Sasuke back to Konoha. He had actually managed to defeat him and drag him back.

'_I can't wait until the others hear about-,_'He stopped. _The others._ He completely forgot about the others! He started worrying. Chouji had been left alone with that big guy and Neji with the six-armed guy! He shook his head. '_They're strong, they'll be fine.'_ He couldn't focus on that right now, he had to get back to the village and quick, things were starting to double and blur and in all honesty he wasn't too far from joining the last Uchiha in unconsciousness. _Just one foot after the other._ Easier said than done, his legs felt like they were going to collapse. He looked at his own injuries. He was covered in blood and had a hole in his chest close to his heart from where Sasuke had shoved a Chidori through it. On top of that he deducted that he probably had quite a few broken bones as well as some damage to his internal organs. He suddenly coughed up blood. Yeah, definitely some internal damage. Time started drag and his vision blurred. Before he knew it, he was on the ground. Everything became a blur from then on, he could hear a faint cry of "_Naruto!" _and, before he succumbed to the darkness, saw a shock of silver hair.

* * *

><p>Hatake Kakashi was constantly prided on having good judgment and a cool attitude, but at the moment he felt that couldn't be farther from the truth. He <em>screwed up,<em> big time. He hasn't felt this guilty since Obito died. Sasuke had tried to _kill_ Naruto. _His own teammate!_ And with the very jutsu that was supposed to be used to _protect_ his comrades! The very same jutsu that Kakashi had taught him. He burrowed his head in his hands. He had given Sasuke special training and had all but _abandoned_ the other two, specifically Naruto. Yet it had been Sasuke that had betrayed both them and the village, and five Genin got hurt because of it.

"Kakashi."

He quickly looked up, a pair of brown eyes glared back, not happy in the slightest.

"Will he be alright?" Kakashi asked, squirming under the intense glare and preparing for a flying fist, courtesy of the world's strongest kunoichi.

"He'll be fine, both of them actually," the Sannin replied, trying to keep her anger in check. She and Shizune had been here for hours healing Kiba and Sasuke, and keeping Naruto, Neji and Chouji alive! She was tired and facing the man who taught the traitor the very move that almost killed her some-what adopted little brother wasn't helping her mood any. The most surprising part of this is that earlier she had to stop Shizune of all people from coming in here and killing both him and Sasuke. _Shizune!_ More often then not it's the other way around. She sighed, she didn't blame Shizune in the least, but she had to remind her that as medics it was their responsibility to heal, not hurt, at least outside of battle. She glared at the sliver-haired man before her, somewhat amused as he faltered under her glare.

Kakashi, though relieved at the news, stared uncertainly at Tsunade. She didn't say anything as she, he could only assume, collected her anger. He stood there waiting, his anxiety growing with each second that ticked by, wishing she would do something. Five minutes passed before she finally said anything.

"I expected more from you Kakashi," she finally said, looking him dead in the eye.

He sighed, regretful, but didn't say anything.

"If it weren't for Kyuubi, he'd be **dead** by now." Tsunade growled out, her anger starting to spill over.

Kakashi cringed; Tsunade had a legendary temper just as well known as her legendary strength.

"Ts-Tsunade-sama, I can assure you that I didn't mean-"

"Your _student_ tried to kill him!" Tsunade spat out, refusing to say the traitor's name.

"Your _student_ shoved _your_ signature move that_ you_ gave him through his chest with_ your_ special training!"

Kakashi said nothing to that, it was true.

"And on top of that you didn't even-"

"Tsunade-hime."

Tsunade looked over to whoever dared to interrupt her when she was ranting. Standing before her was a tall man with white hair and a large scroll on his back, the legendary pervert himself.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your ranting, but I would like to know how my student is doing before you kill his teacher." Jiraiya said, serious for once.

Tsunade sighed; leave it to the pervert to stop her from killing someone who he is just as pissed off at. She looked back at Kakashi.

"I'm not through with you; I'll see you in my office in an hour." She left no room for argument. She watched as he quickly left the two powerful, yet pissed shinobi.

"You can't really call him Naruto's teacher if he never taught him anything." Tsunade pointedly said when Kakashi left."

"Well he taught him a few things, just not enough." Jiraiya stated, though he looked a bit doubtful of his own words.

"So how is the gaki doing?" Jiraiya asked, looking at Tsunade as they started walking down the hall.

"He'll live, but he'll be out of commission for awhile, even with his accelerated healing." Tsunade then looked at him.

"You called him your student."

"Yeah, so?"

"You are actually going to train him then?" Tsunade said, smiling softly, something she rarely ever did.

"Well, no offence, but he's not getting the training he needs here, so I just thought…"

"Well good, I was thinking about training him myself if you weren't going to." Tsunade said as she walked out the doors of the hospital. Jiraiya followed, knowing exactly where she was going, and it wasn't the Hokage Tower.

* * *

><p>Hinata ran to the hospital, going as fast as her legs would allow. She had just heard from Ino that Naruto had returned with Sasuke, but was severely injured in the process.<p>

'_Oh Naruto-kun, please be alright,' _She thought as she finally went through the doors where she nearly collided with Shizune.

"Oh! G-Gomenasai!" Hinata quickly apologized, bowing deeply.

"That's alright, so you going to check on Naruto-kun?" Shizune asked, noticing the flowers in her hand that she probably picked up on her way here. Hinata blushed, and then looked at the flowers, they looked a bit worn from the dash here, but they still looked alright. They were Orange Gerbera Daisies*, a fitting choice considering who they were for and who they were from. Shizune smiled, happy that Naruto had _someone _in his life, besides herself, Tsunade and Jiraiya. Hinata looked up.

"Is h-he going to be alright?" She asked, stuttering a bit. Shizune's smile faltered.

"He'll be fine, but he won't be able to do too much for awhile." Shizune answered. Hinata sighed in relief, then thanked her and made to go towards Naruto's room.

"Oh, Hinata wait!" Shizune called after her. Hinata turned around.

"He's in room 202," Shizune said, throwing Hinata a playful smile as Hinata berated herself for forgetting to ask.

"A-Arigatou." Hinata thanked her and left.

* * *

><p>'<em>Let's see, 200…201… aha! 202!' <em>Hinata smiled to herself, looking down at the orange flowers in her hands. _'I sure hope he likes them.'_ She then heard footsteps coming this way and looked up, then mentally sighed. A girl with short pink hair and green eyes happened to be coming with an armful of pear blossoms*, the pretty kunoichi, who also happened to be her crush's crush. Oh well, she put on a smile and waved.

"Konichiwa, Sakura-san," Hinata greeted politely as the other kunoichi looked up.

"Oh, hey Hinata-san," Sakura greeted casually, adjusting the flowers in her arms.

"So, I take it that you're visiting N-Naruto-kun as well?" Hinata asked, trying to start a conversation. Sakura just looked at her strangely, as if the idea seemed foreign to her.

"No, I came to see Sasuke-kun, I heard he was on this floor," Sakura replied starting to get lost in her fantasies of the raven haired boy.

"Oh, I hope he likes the flowers I picked out! I thought they might help him feel better." She smiled with a blush on her face imagining how Sasuke would smile then by some twist of fate profess his love towards her. Then they get married, have five kids then-.

"Kanban no mayu!" She looked up and glared at the blonde who dared to interrupt her fantasies.

"Nani-yo, Ino-buta?" Sakura asked exasperatedly, eyeing the… _were those pear blossoms?_ She glared even harder. The blonde rolled her eyes.

"I've been trying to ask if those flowers were for Naruto," Ino said, sighing at her friends antics.

"Why does everyone think that? I'm here for Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said getting frustrated.

"Well he is your teammate, Sakura, and he _did _bring back Sasuke." Ino stated pointedly.

* * *

><p>Naruto hated hospitals. He hated them with a burning passion, yet sometimes it seemed like he spent more time here than at his own home. He sighed, boredom setting in. Tsunade had checked on him once he woke up, and Shizune had left just a few minutes ago, but now he had nobody to talk to.<p>

'_I just wish something would happen already.' _As if on cue he started to hear a heated argument coming from outside his door.

"_Brought him back? He beat him with unnecessary force!" _Hmm? That sounded like Sakura.

"_What do you mean unnecessary force? If he didn't then Sasuke wouldn't even be here right now!' _And that sounded like Ino. Wait, _Sasuke?_ Were they talking about _him? _He listened more intently.

"_Yes he would if that baka had just talked to him instead of starting fights! Sasuke is in the _hospital_!'_

"_In case you haven't noticed Sakura so is Naruto-kun!" _That sounded like Hinata, wait _Hinata?_ He never heard her speak louder than her normal talking voice, which was the equivalent of his whisper. This shocked him, why would _Hinata_ of all people be yell- wait; did Sakura just say that _he_ started the fight?

"_And in case you didn't know I told that baka to bring back Sasuke-kun, not try to kill him! He never does anything right and only gets in the way of me and my beloved Sasuke-kun! If he were smart he would have talked to him! But because of his stupidity the mission almost failed!" _His eyes widened, that- that can't be what she truly thinks right? But the truth was right in front of him, or technically a few feet from his side and though that door. He gripped the sheets tightly, trying to keep the tears from falling out.

"_Ko-Kono-ama!"_ He heard Hinata yell. He froze; did Hinata just say what he thinks she said? It seemed that he wasn't the only one surprised either as it was silent outside the door for a moment.

"_Naruto-kun almost died to bring back your 'beloved Sasuke-kun' and all you can think about is how much he failed? I don't see you dragging him back to Konoha using words alone! Even though if I know you at all I know you tried to, but seeing as he still went rouge I doubt that did much good now did it?"_ He could hear Sakura falter, trying to stutter a good comeback.

"_S-Sasuke-kun would have come back without a fight if he heard from both of his teammates!"_

"_Are you kidding me? That teme is too power-hungry for words to have any effect! With Orochimaru offering him power on a silver platter Sasuke is more likely to try and fight anyone in his way to achieve that power! I can't believe you're even defending him Sakura! I thought you were smarter then this!"_ Ino shouted back, her voice full of rage.

"_And I can't believe you're defending the baka! Hinata I can somewhat understand, but you are just as infatuated with Sasuke as I am!"_

"_No, I _was_ just as infatuated with Sasuke as you! But that changed when my two teammates almost died because of him, as well as three others! Unlike you Sakura I actually care about my teammates more than an obsession over some traitorous teme!" _

"_Yeah right! And those flowers aren't for Sasuke-kun either!"_

"_Actually they're for Chouji! He was in the most critical condition!"_ He started tuning them out after that, getting lost in his thoughts. Sakura was actually angry at him for bringing him back like this. _As if he had a choice._ Sakura said the mission almost failed because of him, because of his stupidity. He always knew that she thought he was an idiot, if the constant shouts of _"Baka!"_ followed by a punch to the face were any indication, but he never thought she'd take it _that_ far. He sighed, Sakura hated him, it was official, and it hurt like _hell._

* * *

><p>Tsunade sighed, a bit relaxed as she sat in her office. She had just returned from a bar that she and Jiraiya went to so as to drink their troubles away. Although Shizune had caught up to her and pulled her away before she could get too drunk, the sake still calmed her nerves after such a stressful day.<p>

_Knock knock knock_

Strange, she wasn't expecting Kakashi for another twenty minutes, and that's not even taking his infamous tardiness into consideration either.

"_Enter!"_

When she saw who walked in her eyes widened, then she suddenly smiled.

"Well, well, well, I haven't seen you for quite some time." Tsunade commented looking at the figure.

"Yes, it's been about ten years hasn't it?" The figure responded, smiling.

"You sure have grown; in fact, you look just like your mother." Tsunade said, feeling a bit nostalgic. The figure chuckled.

"I get that a lot."

"So, what brings you to Konoha?" Tsunade asked curiously. The figure suddenly grew serious.

"I've got a proposition for you."

* * *

><p>AN: And that's the end of the first chapter of my first story. I'll try and update as soon as possible. Tell me what you think of the story! Like it? Hate it? Please review, I want to know what you guys think of my first story. Constructive criticism is appreciated.

*Orange Gerbera Daisies- like other daisies represent innocence and purity, but the bright orange color also represents cheerfulness. By giving someone these you are saying "You are the Sunshine of my life." I thought it was fitting since Hinata means "towards the sun" and Naruto always is her sun.

*pear blossoms are white flowers that mean health and hope

Japanese translations:

Hime- princess (referring to Tsunade being the granddaughter of the First Hokage)

Gomenasai- I'm very sorry

Konichiwa- Hello

Kanban no mayo- Billboard brow (sorry if this one's wrong, I got it from Google translate)

Nani-yo- What do you want?

Ino-buta- Ino-pig

Baka- idiot

Teme- bastard

Kono-ama! - You bitch! (Ama meaning bitch and kono directing it at a specific person, ex: Kono baka! You idiot!)


	2. Training mission?

A/N: Thank you to those that reviewed, it really means a lot. Because of you I have a bit more faith in this story and more confidence as a writer as well, so thank you, so much.

**Summary:** What happens when a mysterious shinobi shows up with an interesting offer involving three different shinobi? Follow these three shinobi as they go through many different adventures filled with new strengths, discoveries, and a village thought to be destroyed. Follow these three as they go experience joy, sadness, anger and romance. These three aren't coming back to Konoha the same as when they left it.

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Demon/curse mark speech"**

'_**Demon/curse mark thoughts/ inner Sakura'**_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did Naruto and Hinata would be together already.

**The Three Failures**

**Chapter 2**

Tsunade sighed, thinking over yesterday's events. So much had happened, first with Sasuke, then the five injured Genin, and then… Tsunade looked at the papers in her hands, particularly the pictures of three shinobi.

_Flashback_

"_An opportunity to strengthen the alliance between our two villages." The shinobi in front her said, a serious expression on her face. _

"_Please explain." Tsunade said, wondering where this was headed. The woman in front of her then took out a scroll and handed it to her. Tsunade opened it and, as she read the contents, her eyes widened. She looked up._

"_A training mission?" She asked, disbelief evident on her face. She was expecting something more along the lines of a meeting with their Kage, or an ambassador of some sorts, but a training mission?_

"_I know this isn't what you were expecting, so let me explain. As you know Uzuzhiogakure was well known for it's military strength, which was one of the factors that led to the destruction of our village by other villages, from fear of what we would become, am I right?" The shinobi asked, Tsunade just nodded._

"_Well over the years we rebuilt our village, and as a testimony to our rise back to a shinobi village we wanted to reaffirm our alliances, particularly the one with the village that helped us before, during, and after the war." Tsunade just nodded again._

"_We figured that a good way to affirm said alliance would be to take a team of your shinobi on a training mission for three years and turn them into shinobi that will become just as well known as Kakashi. Not only do you get three additional Jonin-level shinobi, but we get recognition for being capable of training such shinobi." The kunoichi finished, looking at Tsunade, whom looked deep in thought._

"_You know that doing this would take a considerable amount of trust, right?" Tsunade finally asked, looking at the kunoichi._

"_I understand that, which is one of the reasons why we decided to take three ninja that the village wouldn't consider much of a sacrifice should something happen, three failures in a sense." The kunoichi looked at Tsunade calmly, as Tsunade pondered a bit more. Tsunade finally sighed, this was a good opportunity for both of their villages, plus after the Sand-Sound attack on Konoha, led by Orochimaru himself, they were a bit lower on Jonin then was comfortable._

"_I assume it will be you training these three?" Tsunade finally asked._

"_Hai." The kunoichi answered._

"_How long do you assume it will take to choose your three?" Tsunade asked. The kunoichi in front of her smiled._

"_Actually I have already chosen." The kunoichi answered, grinning. Tsunade looked up startled._

"_How did you choose your shinobi so quickly?" Tsunade asked, obviously confused._

"_I've been here for over a week; didn't you get the letter that the Uzukage sent you a month prior?" The kunoichi asked, before actually looking at the Hokage's desk. The desk was littered with papers, as well as a bottle of sake, that, and Tsunade's embarrassed blush, quickly answered her question. She sighed 'oh Tsunade-sama, you haven't changed a bit.'_

"_Ano, how about you just tell me who you have in mind." Tsunade said, trying to get over her embarrassment._

"_Well I did some research and I believe these three would be the best choices." The kunoichi said, handing over three pictures. Tsunade took them, and after looking at them her eyes widened._

"_I thought you said that you would choose three ninja that weren't considered much of a sacrifice should anything happen!" Tsunade exclaimed, looking at the kunoichi in disbelief._

"_And I did." The kunoichi stated plainly. Tsunade just looked at her._

"_But these three are especially important in this village! Two of them are the heirs of major clans!" Tsunade exclaimed._

"_Tsunade-sama, you're a shinobi, right? The hokage at that." The kunoichi said pointedly._

"_Yeah, so?" The outsider just rolled her eyes at the Hokage's response._

"_So you of all people should know to look underneath the underneath." The kunoichi stated looking at the Hokage._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I mean, not everything is as it seems. Yes, they seem important to the village on the outside, but they're not treated as such on the inside."_

"_Explain."_

"_They are three powerful, important shinobi, with a lot of potential, but are constantly written off and deemed as failures because of the faults of their personalities, making people believe they are the weakest of their teams, even when evidence proves otherwise."_

_Flashback end_

It had taken her a lot of thought before she had officially agreed, but this would be good for their villages, and these three could learn a lot from her. Suddenly the door opened and Shizune walked inside.

"Tsunade-sama, I've got the reports from the hospital that you requested." Shizune said, carrying the papers with Tonton right behind her. Tsunade smiled and accepted the papers.

"Arigatou, Shizune." Tsunade thanked her, and then thought of something.

"Shizune, could you get these two shinobi and have them meet me in the hospital in room 202?" Tsunade asked, getting up.

"But, Tsunade-sama, that's-"

"I know. That's exactly why I want to meet them there." Tsunade interrupted Shizune.

"Hai!" Shizune said, taking the pictures Tsunade handed her and hurrying away. Tsunade sighed before making her way out the door, headed for the Uzumaki clan estate. _'If I know her as well as I think I do she's bound to be there._

* * *

><p>He looked at the orange flowers sitting on the table by the window, and smiled. Hinata had come in after the argument she, and Ino had with Sakura outside his door, although she looked a bit embarrassed. Okay, a lot embarrassed, but he had to give her credit, as red as she may have turned when she walked through the door she didn't faint upon sight of him. And had even managed to stutter out a 'get well soon' before she lost her nerve and dashed outside. He sighed; he honestly didn't know why she turned so red around him, nobody could become that sick within the span of five seconds, seven when she's feeling more confident then usual. What? Just because he knew how long it took her to turn a certain shade of red doesn't mean anything other than the fact that he's more observant than he let's on. Suddenly the door opened and the object of his thoughts came in, as well as Ino and Shizune. All three looked tired, and he couldn't blame them, it was pretty late.<p>

"Shizune-neesan, Hinata, Ino, what are you three doing here?" Naruto asked a bit bewildered.

"Shizune-san told us to meet Tsunade-sama here." Ino answered, rubbing her eyes.

"But why-" The sound of the door opening interrupted him, as Tsunade and some red-headed kunoichi walked in.

"Ah, great, everyone is here!" Tsunade said smiling.

"Oi, Baa-chan! What's going on?" Naruto asked, using his classic nickname for her. Tsunade got a visible tick mark on her forehead before she took a deep breath and explained.

"I've got a mission for the three of you." Tsunade stated simply.

"But, Tsunade-sama, Naruto-kun is still injured." The shy Hyuga heiress stated, looking over to her crush before blushing and looking away again. Tsunade smiled again.

"Don't worry Hinata, this mission won't go on for another two weeks, so the gaki's got plenty of time to heal." Tsunade answered, smirking as Naruto started to protest.

"So, what does this mission entail?" Ino asked, curious.

"I believe Akane* should answer that question," Tsunade said, stepping back, giving the red-headed kunoichi now identified as Akane the floor. She smiled, before stepping up. Naruto took this time to look her over.

She had long red hair that reached to her waist tied up into a high ponytail, with a fair complexion and, surprisingly, intelligent, golden eyes that somewhat reminded him of dancing flames. She wore a red skin-tight vest with a black tank top underneath, showing off her generous figure. She also had black shinobi pants that went to her upper calf, black shinobi sandals, black fingerless gloves that went up to her elbows. Completing her outfit were two swords strapped to her back, and a black hitai-ate with a spiral symbol on it. She was pretty, no doubt, but something about the look in her eyes, and the way she carried herself told him she was undoubtedly powerful.

"In an effort to reaffirm my village's alliance to Konoha, you three have been chosen to partake in a special three year long training mission." Akane said, gauging their reactions. They had expressions of shock written all over their faces, it was actually quite amusing.

"B-But why us?" Ino asked, being the first to recover from the shock.

"I see a certain potential in you guys that I believe I can help you reach." Akane answered. The three just looked up at her in disbelief. She sighed.

"How about I start from the beginning?" Akane said, sitting down. Hinata, Ino, and Tsunade followed suit, knowing this could turn into a long story.

"Years ago before I was born, my village, Uzushiogakure, was destroyed by rival villages forcing the inhabitants to scatter across the shinobi countries in search of homes. Konoha took in the most people from our village including the current Uzukage, who was at the time just the heir to the most prominent clan there, who had just as much status in Uzushiogakure as the Hyuga, and Uchiha clans combined have here." She paused as she let that sink in, Hinata looked a bit startled, probably from the shock of the status of that clan, being a Hyuga herself. Akane continued.

"Along with the current Uzukage, his wife and daughters, one of which was my mother, as well as several other clan members and members of other clans, also came to Konoha. Over the years, the current Uzukage as well as several others, slowly but steadily rebuilt Uzushiogakure, allowing former inhabitants to return home. As a testament to our rise back to power we decided to reaffirm our alliance with our main ally. And that's where you three come in. Uzushiogakure was well known for its military force, and not without reason. Before it was destroyed Uzushiogakure was known for having the best education system of the hidden villages with Konoha coming in second. The Uzukage believes that a good way to reaffirm our alliance would be to take three genin, which Konoha has more or less given up on, and turn them into three powerful shinobi that would further benefit your village would not only strengthen Konoha's military force, but also regain recognition and prove to other villages that we still stand strong." Akane finished, taking a deep breath. The other three were silent for a while, until Naruto spoke up.

"So you chose us because we're failures?" He asked, surprising the other shinobi in the room. Ino and Hinata quickly looked back to Akane. She closed her eyes, thinking of how to word this correctly.

"In a sense, yes." Hinata, Ino and Naruto looked crestfallen at hearing that.

"But in another sense you three are the most powerful." Akane finished, reopening her eyes. The three looked startled, silently begging her to explain.

"You see, you three are remarkably powerful, however because of some aspects of your personalities people have constantly overlooked that and cast you aside, trying to train the 'prodigies' as opposed to the 'failures.' This in turn causes them to compromise your training, as well as make you guys feel less about yourselves on the inside, even if on the outside you may show that you don't believe what they say, thus unknowingly further worsens that part of your personalities that caused them to overlook you in the first place." Akane said, and then looked at Hinata.

"For example, Hinata, your father looked down on you and deemed you a failure because of your kind and gentle attitude as well as your shyness. This in turn caused you to become shyer and less confident, making him even more accusatory, and the cycle keeps going. On top of that, he stopped training you and started training Hanabi instead, noticing her natural talent and her confidence. This compromised your training and made you even less confident in your abilities, resulting in your sister surpassing you." Hinata looked down, ashamed, it was all true. Akane smiled softly.

"However, even with all of this you have many strengths. Your taijutsu is quick, and precise, no doubt you are the best kunoichi in your class when it comes to that. On top of that you have an unbelievable control of your chakra that, if utilized properly, could allow you to do unbelievable things. Top all of that off with a great potential in your Byakugan and no doubt you'll go far." Akane said, as Hinata looked up hopefully. Akane then turned to Ino.

"Ino, you're constantly written off as a fan girl who only cares about her looks. This is turn caused people to look down on you and not take you seriously. Because of this and your short temper people just assume that you're just another fan girl that will just play on the side watching as everyone else fights, constantly fawning over a cute boy. Because of this opinion nobody takes you or your training seriously, and even though on the outside you seem opposed to this, deep down you truly believe that you are weak, simply because of what other people say." Akane explained, looking at Ino as she looked down.

"However, despite what these people say you train hard, both by yourself and with your team. On top of that you were the top kunoichi in your class, topped only by Sasuke and Shino, a fact that everyone seems to forget. You have shown to be an effective leader, and if, you utilized your strengths properly, you could become a powerful shinobi one day." Ino smiled, comforted by this. Akane then turned to Naruto.

"And last, but not least, Naruto. You are constantly called a loud-mouth, a dobe, and other things. Because you had the lowest scores, people gave up on you early on. People always assumed you were a failure because it was borderline impossible for you to do the academy jutsu, or because you didn't entirely get what was being taught. Even though this is all just because you were the one person in class who had the most chakra, too much considering your small stature thus throwing off your chakra control, on top of that you had people ignoring and hindering your studies, so they really hindered your training. Top that off with your sensei ignoring your training in favor of your teammate Sasuke's and you were forced to figure out everything practically on your own." Akane said, looking at him. He didn't do or say anything, he already knew this, and he had multiple scars to prove it. Although being reminded of everything was a bit disheartening.

"And yet, through all of this adversity, you managed to master two Jonin level justu and you're sufficient enough in taijutsu to go head to head with Neji, someone who trained in close combat all of his life. On top of that, even though you were deemed an idiot, I've noticed through witness accounts of you battles that you are exceptionally clever with a high skill in planning and deception, being capable of thinking up intricate and unpredictable battle strategies on the fly." Akane finished, as Naruto softly smiled. Akane looked up at all three of them, watching as six pairs of eyes watched her. She smiled confidently.

"All three of you are strong, and this is an opportunity for you three to get even stronger. Although you guys don't have to go if you don't feel ready, I understand completely. I'm not going to lie to you either; this training will make Gai's training seem like child's play. You guys aren't required to do this, but if you do then no doubt after the three years are up you guys will be powerful. I'll personally make sure of that." Akane said, looking as the three Genin looked down in thought.

"You guys don't have to decide tonight, but it would be best if you guys give me your answer within a week." Akane finished, backing up so as to give Tsunade the floor. Tsunade stood up and stretched, then walked up to the three Genin.

"I believe that Akane has explained things well enough, just remember that this is a huge honor, and don't take this lightly. Also, don't think about whether or not your parents will let you, because if you choose to go it will be counted as a mission thus stating that they have no choice in this matter. Anyhow, its late so Hinata, Ino go home and get some sleep, and think this offer over, this chance comes only once in a lifetime." Tsunade said, dismissing the Genin." Hinata and Ino just nodded and uttered a quick good night as they left towards their respective homes. Tsunade turned to look at Naruto.

"That goes for you too, get some sleep and think this over, okay?" Tsunade asked, watching as he silently nodded. This worried her, she knew he was shocked but he's been acting more quiet and subdued since the fight. Did something happen? She shook her head; maybe he just needed more sleep. She gestured toward Akane and they walked out of the room, closing the door silently behind them. They silently walked down the hallway, enjoying the silence that the hospital could be at night.

"So do you think they'll do it?" Akane asked as they walked outside.

"Naruto definitely, Hinata probably, and Ino, well I'm not sure, we'll just have to wait and see won't we?" Tsunade said as she made her way toward the Hokage mansion, Akane smiled and walked her own way towards to hotel she was staying at. _'I guess we will.'_

* * *

><p>AN: And that's the end of the second chapter! Man it took awhile to finish this. But I finally got it! Please review! Tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is appreciated and advice is welcome! Once again thank you so much to those that reviewed the last chapter, reading them made my day and gave me a happy feeling inside!

*Akane- It means deep red, I have a reason for naming this, you will find out later

Dobe- Dead last

Arigatou- Thank you

Ano- um

Hai- Yes (formal)

Neesan- older sister

Baa-chan- Grandma


	3. In the village

A/N: Once again thank you to those that reviewed! It really means a lot to me!

**Summary:** What happens when a mysterious shinobi shows up with an interesting offer involving three different shinobi? Follow these three shinobi as they go through many different adventures filled with new strengths, discoveries, and a village thought to be destroyed. Follow these three as they go experience joy, sadness, anger and romance. These three aren't coming back to Konoha the same as when they left it.

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Demon/curse mark speech"**

'_**Demon/curse mark thoughts/ inner Sakura'**_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did then I wouldn't be writing Naruto fan fiction.

**The Three Failures**

**Chapter 3**

Uchiha Sasuke was **not** in a good mood, but then again, who would be if they woke up in a hospital whilst being slapped in the face with the reality that they got defeated by the dead last. The fact that the number one most annoying fan girl happened to make his hospital room her second home didn't help matters either. All she does is ramble on and on and it annoyed him to the point where he constantly wished that he could reach out and strangle her. But he was currently strapped tightly to his bed with ropes and seals, so he usually opts to tuning her out. It's not like she says anything that was worthy of his attention anyway.

"… and I still can't believe that she would say that! I mean, Hinata I can understand I _guess _since, you know, she's crazy about the baka, but _Ino? Really?_ I thought she would be smart enough to know that it's the baka's damn fault! I mean who else would be dumb enough to do something like that! I mean really! All he does is get in the way of me and you Sasuke-kun! If I had a nickel…."

Nope, nothing worthy of his attention, just some stuff that happened at some place during some time.

"…choose you Sasuke-kun! I mean this mystery shinobi would be an idiot to not choose to train you! Who would be better suited or more deserving of special training outside of the village!"

Still noth- wait what?

"Special training? What special training?" He asked, trying to sit up but kept from doing so by his bindings. Sakura looked ecstatic at his question. He interacted, with her! Marriage couldn't be far now!

"It's all over Konoha! Apparently, this mysterious shinobi from another village showed up in Konoha, offering to take three Genin outside the village for special training. I heard that she promised to bring them back at Jonin level! I know she probably chose you, you are the obvious choice. And she will probably choose me, since we belong together. But I wonder who the third would be. On second thought, as long as it's not Naruto than it doesn't matter. As long as we're together!" She squealed excitedly as she started talking about their oncoming journey together then started talking about some other thing that he didn't care about. Something about five kids or whatever, it didn't concern him anyway. At the moment all he could think about was the special training.

If what Sakura said was true and not just some rumor, this could be another way to gain the power he needed to kill his brother! He smiled, if he couldn't go to Orochimaru than this was the next best thing. And nobody would dare to stop a Jonin-level shinobi from taking him out of the village like how they stopped him from leaving the village with the sound four. Which, come to think of it, couldn't have been more than Chunin level at best if they got so easily defeated by a bunch of Genin? He smiled wider, it was perfect!

"Oh Sasuke-kun I knew you would like the prospect of getting married and having five kids! Let's start now!" Sakura said as she suddenly tackled him into a hug, or as much of a hug as possible with him being strapped to the bed.

"What the hell?" Sasuke yelled as he tried to get his arms free so as to pull her off before she tried to rape him.

* * *

><p>She knew that news in Konoha traveled faster than Gai, but <em>damn.<em> She had just found out about this offer two days ago and already everyone in Konoha knew about it. At least they didn't know _who_ the offer was for. She may love attention, but at the moment she didn't think she could handle the bombardment of questions. Right now she just needed to find Akane to tell her about her decision.

Making her decision wasn't easy; there were so many things to consider. Things such as her team, the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Chou trio. As well as the fact that she's never been outside the village for so long and there was really no guarantee that she would make it back safely. With foreign relations anything could happen. But on top of that, she was scared that she would hold the others back. As much as she trained she knew for a fact that Naruto and Hinata trained twice as hard and twice as long as she did. She wasn't entirely sure she could keep up with them.

But on the other hand this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Passing this up would be beyond stupid and she knew that. Plus she was pretty sure that Akane wouldn't have chosen her if she thought she couldn't keep up, and with this training she would become a better, stronger heir to her clan and an even more reliable member of her team. It was these reasons that had persuaded her to make her decision, and as many drawbacks and difficulties that may occur she wouldn't change her mind! Consequences be damned! Nothing was going to get in her way! And with this mindset she marched towards the Hokage tower, hoping that Akane would be there, or, if not, that the Hokage would know where to find her.

* * *

><p>The door slammed open and she watched as Jiraiya stormed in, not looking anything like his normal cheerful self.<p>

"What is the meaning of this Tsunade?" He asked, furious. Tsunade raised an eyebrow, and then calmly took a sip of her sake.

"The meaning of what, exactly?" She asked. Jiraiya glared at her, unbelievingly.

"Like you don't know! You know that I was going to train the gaki! Why would you agree to let someone else train him?" Jiraiya asked, as Tsunade put down her precious alcohol.

"I apologize Jiraiya, but this is better for both Konoha and Uzushiogakure."

"But can't you send out a different Genin? What's that girl's name? Tenten! Why don't you just send out Tenten instead?"

"It's not my choice Jiraiya."

"Like hell it isn't! You're just going to let some random stranger waltz into Konoha, take the heir to the clan with one of the three legendary doujutsu, the heir to the clan that can take over people's bodies and read minds, and the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, on a random "training mission" with no word for them for three years, and with no questions asked? Has all of that sake gone to your head?" Jiraiya ranted, letting his anger out. Tsunade glared at him.

"Do you even know who is taking them Jiraiya?" She asked, uncharacteristically calm. He looked at her for a second, the shook his head. She sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Akane, a Jonin from Uzushiogakure, is the one taking them." Jiraiya looked at her, a bit confused.

"That name rings a bell, who is that again?" Jiraiya asked, a bit calmer now. Tsunade rolled her eyes.

"I suppose you wouldn't remember. She was only seven the last time you've seen her. But I'm pretty sure you'll recognize her mother, Ayako." Jiraiya looked startled.

"Your apprentice before Shizune? Her daughter is training them?" A look of understanding passed over Jiraiya's face. Jiraiya suddenly smiled and chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I guess I owe you an apology then. But I still want to train Naruto." Tsunade sighed.

"I understand, and I talked to Akane about it too. We agreed that you would be the ideal sensei for Naruto, especially since you trained his father. So we decided that you can train him alongside Akane. But on one condition-"

"Wait, your limiting my time training him and you're giving me a condition for it?"

"Considering how the time limited would most likely be the time when you are spying on the women's bathhouses and teaching him to be a perv, I figured that nothing was really lost." Jiraiya sighed in defeat.

"Fine, fine. What's the condition?" Tsunade smiled.

"You can help train Naruto if, and only if, you help train Hinata and Ino as well." Tsunade smirked as a look of disbelief crossed Jiraiya's face.

"But that's not fair Tsunade!" Jiraiya exclaimed, incredulous. Tsunade chuckled.

"All's fair in love and war. And considering whose going it's a little bit of both."

* * *

><p>"<em>What the hell? Get off of me!"<em>

"_We've got to start now Sasuke-kun! The sooner we do the sooner we can revive your clan!"_

"_I said get off of me!"_

Oh how it brought him joy to hear Sasuke suffering. It was only fair considering how it was Sasuke's fault that he was stuck in this plain white room covered head to toe in bandages with nothing to do but listen to what happens outside of his room. And, in all honesty, hearing Sakura trying to have her way with Sasuke while Sasuke blatantly refuses has been the highlight of his day. He looked at the door. _I know it's early but could someone, anyone, come in here? I'm going to literally die of boredom! _Suddenly the door opened and Akane walked in. _Thank you!_

"Hey Naruto, could I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, closing the door behind her then taking a seat next to his bed.

"Um, sure Akane." He said, although glad for the company, he was slightly suspicious as to why she suddenly dropped by. Especially since he didn't even know her.

"I know it's only been about two days since I offered you the special training, but I was a bit curious as to what your answer might be. Since you've been cooped up in this hospital with nothing to do, you've probably had plenty of time to think, haven't you?" She asked, eyeing him curiously with those golden eyes that, even though not intentional, felt somewhat intimidating. He wasn't sure if it was the fiery color or if it was the aura of power she radiated, but those eyes were just downright scary. He knew if she was interrogating him right now he would be a sitting duck. But back to the matter at hand, he had done some thinking on the subject and the answer had easily enough.

"I have thought about this, and I'm choosing to accept your offer." He said, feeling a bit anti-climactic with his simple answer. Akane smiled, obviously pleased, and then suddenly turned serious.

"I'm glad that you are choosing to go. But that's not the only thing I want to discuss with you."

"What else is there?"

Akane closed her eyes and sighed, thinking about how to tell him.

"I don't want to go on this mission with any secrets between us. At least not major ones. I know about you, and your tenant, but you don't know about me. And on top of that, you will encounter more than enough surprises when we get to Uzushiogakure, so I may as well tell you some of them now so as to prepare you for the other ones. First, allow me to introduce myself." She sat up and, looking him straight in the eye, said one thing.

"I'm Uzumaki Akane, your cousin."

* * *

><p>AN: And that's the end of chapter three. Sorry for the three week wait but my grandparents were in town for my little brother's birthday. (Which happened to be on Easter Sunday) And also I had to rewrite the first of this chapter because I didn't like how it turned out, so yeah….. Anyway thanks again for those that reviewed. I really appreciate it. And I am sorry for the short chapter, there were just things in this chapter and this one only that I had to get through and I got through them a lot quicker than I anticipated. The next one will hopefully be better, and I will try and update a lot quicker as well. Also, I know that Hinata didn't appear in this chapter, but don't worry, she will be in the next one. And one last thing, I know that the whole Akane being Naruto's cousin thing came out of no where. But there are actually several reasons why I put this out now. First off, for Naruto's sake. Yeah I know I'm the writer and I can basically make anything I want happen, but the fact of the matter is, if I put this with all of the other surprises that Naruto will experience without him being prepared for them first, and then he would pass out. And I don't want him suffering from a panic attack. Also, if I was in his shoes I would want to know first hand and not wait until we're on the road to spring something like that. I would get **pissed** and I know Naruto would as well. So instead of having her keep secrets I had her tell him up front. I would rather not have Naruto going through panic attacks, more depression, and anger than he already has to. So yeah… wow that was long. Anyway about one to two more chapters until our heroes head out. And what awaits them? Please read and review this chapter and again thanks to those who already reviewed.

Japanese!

Baka- idiot

Gaki- twerp (or something close to it)


	4. Family?

A/N: I once again thank all that reviewed and once again apologize for the shortness of last chapter.

**Summary:** What happens when a mysterious shinobi shows up with an interesting offer involving three different shinobi? Follow these three shinobi as they go through many different adventures filled with new strengths, discoveries, and a village thought to be destroyed. Follow these three as they go experience joy, sadness, anger and romance. These three aren't coming back to Konoha the same as when they left it.

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Demon/curse mark speech"**

'_**Demon/curse mark thoughts/ inner Sakura'**_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did then… too lazy to think of anything.

**The Three Failures**

**Chapter 4**

Naruto walked down the street with a numb feeling inside, he just got released from the hospital and was walking home. To say he was stressed was an understatement. His best friend went rogue, while trying to bring him back he tried to kill him, the girl he had a crush on hated him, then out of nowhere a shinobi from a previously destroyed village offers to take him and two others on a three year long training mission outside of Konoha, and then he finds out that said shinobi was his cousin, it was just too much to handle all at once. Though in all honesty he was pretty glad he accepted her offer as she would probably be able to answer any questions he had about his mother's side of the family. In retrospect he probably could have asked her when she told him, but he was in so much shock that any questions that he had constantly asked since he was little completely flew out of his head and he was left just staring at her like an idiot. Who could blame him though? He grew up as an orphan with no family, no clan, shinobi or otherwise, to really give him an idea of exactly who he was. To suddenly be told that he came from a prominent clan was more than a little shocking. He thought back to yesterday when Akane told him.

_Flashback_

"_I'm Uzumaki Akane, your cousin."_

_Naruto stared at her, shock written all over his face._

"_N-Nani?" He asked, not sure if he heard her right._

"_We're cousins, both descendants of the prominent Uzumaki clan." She said, looking at him._

"_B-But how? I-I don't even have a family!" Naruto exclaimed, with an uncharacteristic stutter. Akane smiled sadly. _

"_I know it's surprising, so how about I start from the beginning?" Akane asked. Naruto just nodded, wanting some answers to the questions that have conveniently fled his mind. Akane smiled._

"_Well, as I told you two days ago the Uzukage came to Konoha with the rest of his clan as well as several others when Uzushiogakure got destroyed, right?" Akane asked, making sure he remembered. Naruto nodded. She continued._

"_Well as you know the Uzukage was the heir to the most prominent clan in Uzu, I bet you could probably guess what clan that was." Akane said, as a look of realization crossed Naruto's face._

"_Y-You don't mean-" He started as he saw Akane nod._

"_That's right, the Uzumaki clan. In the war the former head of the clan was killed, making him the head, and as the head of his clan he decided, along with his younger brother and sister, to divide the clan into three parts, spreading to our three allies. His younger brother led one part of the clan to the Grass village, his younger sister led one part of the village to the Hidden Mist village, and he led the biggest part of the clan to Konoha. Along with him was his wife, Akahana*, and his two identical twin daughters, Ayako, my mother, and Kushina, your mother." Akane stopped, allowing that to sink in. Naruto looked at her with wide eyes, as he put two and two together. _

"_You mean, I'm… we're the grandchildren of the Uzukage, head of the most prominent clan in Uzushiogakure?" Naruto asked, shock evident on his face. Akane nodded, watching as Naruto shook his head in disbelief._

"_But, you said that the former inhabitants of Uzushiogakure went back once the village was rebuilt! So how come I'm still here? Wouldn't my mother want to return to her home?" Naruto asked, obviously confused._

"_Of course she would. From what my mother told me Kushina, more than anybody, wanted to go back home." Akane said matter-of-factly._

"_Then what stopped her?" Naruto asked, trying to get some answers._

"_From what I understand, it was your father that stopped her."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I mean, your mother fell in love with your father. Because this was before my time I'm probably not the best person to explain all of this. But when we get to Uzushiogakure you could always ask my mother. She knew Kushina better than anybody, plus, I'm sure she's got a few pictures of her and your father before… you know." She glanced at his stomach when she said this, and he subconsciously placed his hand over it._

"_So… who is the heir now? If they were twins then who-"_

"_At the moment you're the heir, Kushina was about five minutes older than my mother."_

"_I see." Naruto gripped the sheets tightly, emotions fluctuating. On one hand he was ecstatic. He had a family! He was the heir to an important clan! But on another hand he was confused and depressed. He had been the only Uzumaki in Konoha since- Naruto inhaled sharply, he didn't want to think about that day, not again. Even though he knew that he should be jumping for joy at the moment, everything just seemed like a blur. He figured it was just the shock of finding all of this out, but he just couldn't wrap his mind around all of this. Akane saw this and smiled sadly. _

"_I'll leave you alone to think about all of this. If you want to talk I'm usually here." She gave him a slip of paper with an address on it. Naruto looked at her curiously._

"_That's the address of the Uzumaki estate, the one here in Konoha I mean. I haven't been to Konoha since I was little, and that's where your parents lived and where my family would stay when we visited them. It brings back many memories." Akane looked a bit nostalgic as she said this, as if recalling precious memories of better times. Naruto looked at her._

"_Exactly how long has it been since you've been here?" He asked, although confused was slightly curious. Akane smiled._

"_I was four the last time I came here, so about… thirteen years."_

"_Wait, your only seventeen?"_

"_Why are you so surprised? I don't look that old, do I?" Akane asked, looking at herself self-consciously. Naruto just looked at her._

"_It's not that, it's just… you're so young!" Naruto exclaimed, incredulous. Akane just shrugged._

"_I thought you would be used to stuff like this. Both Kakashi and Itachi are from here and have gotten the same promotions that I've gotten within the same age range. Hell, my mother calls me the female, Uzushiogakure form of Itachi*! Just without the genocide!" Akane exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. Naruto looked at her strangely, when she noticed she put her hands down and rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed._

"_Ano, gomen. I get a bit worked up sometimes; it's one of the drawbacks of being an Uzumaki." She chuckled nervously then cleared her throat._

"_Anyway, if you can't find me at the estate then you can check the hotel I'm staying at, I put the address of that on there too, as well as the room number. If I'm not in either place then just check with Tsunade-sama." Akane got up and walked to the door._

"_I'm glad that you're choosing to come, and don't worry, when we get to Uzu then some of your questions will be answered. I'll leave you to think over everything." And with that she had left, leaving him with his thoughts._

_Flashback end_

About an hour after she left he felt somewhat conflicted. One side of him wanted to jump up and down, run to the Hokage Mountain, stand atop of the Yondaime's head and scream _'I've got a family!'_ But the other side of him wanted to cry himself to sleep. Why? Well for one thing it reminded him of what was lost in the Kyuubi attack, in fact he could almost add _heritage_ to that list of lost things. Another was because of-

Naruto shook his head._ No!_ He would _not_ think about that right now.He had spent too many years trying to forget _that_ incident, as well as too many years blaming himself for it. He was _not_ about to go through that again, _especially _since the old man isn't around to help him back out of his depression like he was last time. He shook his head again, trying to clear his thoughts, and decided to think about something else. He looked down the road he was on; it was surprisingly still cloudy from the day he and Sasuke had fought. This would be the fifth day.

As he walked on he could make out a person on a bench down the road. As he got closer he realized that person was Hinata. And she didn't look too happy. He walked over and sat down next to her. Her head was in her hands and she failed to notice his presence, which really surprised him since he knew she was pretty perceptive, especially when it came to him. After looking at her for a few moments he decided to make his presence known.

"Hey Hinata! Whatcha doin' here all alone?" Naruto asked, putting on his 'happy mask.' Hinata looked up at him, startled, and then turned a bright shade of red.

"N-Naruto-kun! I-I was just, ano… ano…" Hinata looked a bit flustered and Naruto inwardly smiled. She was so cute when she was- whoa, where did that come from? Naruto looked at her as she tried to formulate a complete sentence explaining why she was here. Naruto chuckled.

"Come on! You can tell me anything Hinata!" Naruto said, smiling at her. Hinata stopped for a second and looked at him, then with a bit more confidence took a deep breath.

"M-My father d-doesn't even c-care that I'm going o-on a three y-year long tr-training mission. H-He only c-cares about m-me not h-holding y-you and Ino-san b-back and t-tarnishing the Hyuga n-name." She finally stuttered out, looking down. Naruto looked down, a bit pissed off at Hiashi for his lack of care for his eldest daughter, and a bit protective of her since-. He mentally shook his head. Where were these thoughts coming from? He then looked at her.

"Hinata, I know you probably feel bad, but don't be," he started, feeling a bit lame.

"You are a strong person Hinata! If your father can't see that then he's blind! And anyway that's what this mission is for right? To get stronger and reach our potential! I bet when we come back and you show him your power he won't even be able to stand up to you!" Naruto said confidently, standing up and looking at her. Hinata looked at him hopefully.

"Y-You really think so?" Hinata asked, hope brimming in her eyes. Naruto gave her a genuine smile.

"I'm positive!" Naruto said, and then extended his hand out to her. She accepted it and got up, still blushing but smiling all the same.

"A-Arigatou, Naruto-kun."

A/N: Dang it! Another short chapter. *sigh* Anyway, I hope I explained the relationship that Naruto and Akane have well enough. And I also apologize if Naruto's reaction to everything wasn't up to your standards. I personally don't really know how Naruto would feel in this situation, considering that I (thankfully) never went through this. So I can only feel around a bit and kind of guess what he would be feeling so, I once again apologize for that. I also apologize that Hinata kind of came out of nowhere and all of a sudden had these problems and then Naruto's being a bit bipolar with his emotions and I hope that despite all of this you guys liked the chapter. I wanted to address Hinata's position and part of Naruto's heritage and I tried to do as much as I could on both. Plus I know the NaruHina moment seemed a bit iffy, but this is just the beginning. I plan on righting more moments, as well as better moments in the future. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! Tell me what you think! Constructive criticism is welcome and advice is appreciated. And thanks again to those who reviewed last time! It means so much to me!

*Akahana- it means "red bright, flower" And she is Kushina's mother! Well, actually I don't really know that, so if Kushina's mother is revealed in the manga then I will change the name, but the likelihood of that happening is very slim, but with Kishimoto you never know.

* Akane being the female Itachi will be mentioned again, and for a reason. But to find out why I will keep bringing this up you will have to wait and see…or guess.

Japanese!

Nani- what

Gomen- sorry

Ano- um

Arigatou- Thank you


	5. Setting out

A/N: Once again thank you to all that reviewed the last chapter! It really means a lot!

**Summary:** What happens when a mysterious shinobi shows up with an interesting offer involving three different shinobi? Follow these three shinobi as they go through many different adventures filled with new strengths, discoveries, and a village thought to be destroyed. Follow these three as they go experience joy, sadness, anger and romance. These three aren't coming back to Konoha the same as when they left it.

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Demon/curse mark speech"**

'_**Demon/curse mark thoughts/ inner Sakura'**_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did then Hinata would have more screen time and Sasuke wouldn't have nearly as many power-ups.

**The Three Failures**

**Chapter 5**

_Pant Pant Pant_

_He checked behind him, trying to see how close his pursuers were. A kunai flew by, dangerously close to his head. He ran faster, pushing his little seven year old body to its limit, but he couldn't stop. He had to find her, they had to get back to the village or their lives were forfeit. As he ran through the dense trees he suddenly saw a shock of long blond hair. _

_There she is!_

_As he got closer he could see that she was limping and her leg was bleeding badly, probably from a well aimed kunai. _

"_Kyoko! Daijoubu ka?"_

_She didn't answer, but smiled as she locked eyes with him. Blue eyes met blue eyes momentarily as they kept running. As they listened back they could tell that they seemed to have lost their pursuers, if only temporarily. They smiled, young or not they knew these forests better than those ninja did! They stopped to rest in a nearby hollow tree. _

_The tree itself was only slightly larger than the others, with large roots that had a small gap that was large enough for them to crawl through but small enough to not get noticed. This was their favorite place to play and hang out when they didn't feel like dealing with the villager's. As they rested the girl looked at him with worry._

"_What are we going to do? The village is too far away and we can't outrun ninja! We just started the academy!" She exclaimed, worry flashing in her azure eyes. Identical eyes looked back at her with worry, eyeing her injured leg._

"_Well, we made it this far, and maybe we'll run into one of the patrols before those ninja get us. We'll make it," The boy said, though he looked doubtful of his own words. He ripped off a strip of his shirt and wrapped it around the girl's injured leg._

"_This should help until we get help," He said, as he finished wrapping the makeshift bandages around her leg. She stretched her leg, testing it out. It still hurt, but not as bad as before._

"_Come on, we should probably get going before they-" His sentence was cut off as hand suddenly reached through the roots and grabbed the girl, who was closest, by the collar of her shirt, forcibly dragging her out._

"_Kyoko!" He cried grabbing her hand before she was completely out of his reach. Unfortunately this resulted in him getting pulled out as well, being as light as he was. He only had a minute to contemplate what was happening before he felt a sudden sharp blow to his skull, before finding himself on the ground. _

_He could feel the blood trickling down his head as he staggered back up, vision blurred. As he got up he saw Kyoko using a tree as support as she stood, grasping her shoulder as it bled profusely. He turned back to his attackers, but saw nothing but the gleam of a blade before he found himself on the ground again. It took a few seconds before he felt the immense pain in his chest and back. Looking down at his chest he could see blood, a lot of blood, as well as a blade sticking out before it was forcefully removed from his chest. He could feel darkness closing in on him as he looked over to Kyoko. His eyes widened as he saw the ninja closing in on her, sword in hand. He tried to get up to help her, but found himself unable to move, a prisoner of his own body. He watched with horror as the ninja raised his sword, preparing to strike. He locked eyes once more with her, his own worry reflected back in her eyes. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the flash of blade plunged into her chest and a flash of pain in her eyes. Darkness overcame him as he said one last thing._

"_Kyoko… Imouto"_

* * *

><p>Naruto shot up in his bed, panting heavily, quickly scanning his room for any intruders. Once he made sure no one was there he sighed and put his head in his hands. These dreams have been plaguing him since he found out about his family, and they kept getting more and more vivid, as if the events had happened the night before. He looked outside, the sun had just risen and the village was coming alive, getting ready for the day ahead. He got up, deciding to get dressed.<p>

Today was the day. The week had come and gone and he, thanks to his accelerated healing, was fully recovered and ready to hit the road. Akane had told them to meet her at the gates at around noon, this way they would have time to eat, pack their things and say their goodbyes. It was about eight o' clock so he had plenty of time. Once he got dressed he left his apartment, on his way to Ichiraku's.

Walking down the streets he thought about the training trip he was going on. He wondered exactly how much stronger he was going to get, and how strong Akane was. He also wondered what Ero-Sennin would teach them as well, since he apparently was also training them. Another thing he wondered about was his companions. Hinata was nice enough, and from what he saw in the Chunin exams was pretty strong as well, but she could hardly utter a word around him. Although personally he attributed that to her dad like Akane said before. And then there was Ino, which kind of worried him.

The thing is, she never seemed to really hate him and him her, they just kind of got on each others nerves much like a brother and sister. Sort of like…_Kyoko. _He shook his head, although he didn't like to admit it Ino was a lot like Kyoko, take away the fan girlishness. And Ino never really outright bashed him, yeah she called him annoying at times and yeah he got on her nerves a lot, mostly when it came to Sasuke, but she treated him like a normal, albeit very annoying, person*. He guessed he had it pretty lucky with Akane's choice of companion's as she could have chosen someone like Sasuke, who already had everything else handed to him, or some random Genin who he didn't even know that hated his guts because of the Kyuubi. Now THAT could have been disastrous, both for him and the other Genin.

"Hey Naruto! What are you doing here this early?"

Naruto looked up and smiled, seeing his old Academy instructor.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei!" He greeted, running over to him. Iruka chuckled.

I knew you loved ramen, but this early? I thought even you had limits. Naruto's smile widened.

"There's always time for ramen! I could never grow tired of it!" He exclaimed, putting his hands behind his head. Iruka laughed, ruffling Naruto's hair in a brotherly way.

"So what are you doing up this early anyway?" He asked, knowing full well how hard the Genin slept. A flash of pain crossed Naruto's eyes before disappearing.

"I just had some trouble sleeping at night is all. You know, because of the excitement of today." Naruto smiled, but Iruka could see the pain behind it. Not wanting to trouble him about it he decided to take the topic off of his restless night. He smiled.

"Oh right, I heard from Kakashi that you chosen to go on a special three year training mission. Congratulations!" Iruka said proudly, though was a bit sad that his favorite student would be gone for so long. Naruto smiled again, a genuine one this time.

"Thanks! And when I get back I'll be stronger then ever!" He said confidently, looking forward to the upcoming journey now that his mind was taken off of his dream. Iruka smiled.

"How about as a parting gift I pay for your ramen. That is what you came here for, isn't it?" Iruka asked, mentally preparing for the loss of the paycheck he just received. Naruto grinned.

"Yatta!" He yelled, running into Ichiraku's. Iruka smiled once more before following Naruto inside.

-line break-

Kakashi mentally prepared himself for the onslaught of physical and verbal abuse that he was sure to be inevitable as he knocked on the Hokage's door. His ears were still ringing from his ordeal two weeks ago. But despite the dire consequences in which he was sure to face he knew he has to do this.

"Enter."

He took a deep breath before entering the room. As he walked in he saw Tsunade eyeing him warily.

"What can I do for you Kakashi?" She asked, though still a bit pissed about his special training, she decided to keep things professional. Kakashi took another deep breath.

"I was wondering, if you are willing to do so, do you think you could take Sakura as an apprentice?" Kakashi asked, slightly cautious. Tsunade looked startled.

"Is there a particular reason as to why I should do this?" Tsunade suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"This doesn't happen to have anything to do with the traitorous Uchiha, does it?" Tsunade asked, suspicious. Kakashi sighed.

"Perceptive as ever aren't you Hokage-sama?" Kakashi chuckled nervously. Tsunade bolted up from her seat slammed her hands on the desk.

"You're still going to give him special training after what he's done? Did you not listen to a word I said at our last meeting?" Tsunade yelled, temper flaring. Kakashi winced in remembrance of their last meeting then looked her straight in the eye.

"You know as well as I do Tsunade that the council won't let you imprison him for very long, maybe a year at best. And you also know that once he gets out he's going to try going after Orochimaru again, and with Naruto out of the village chances are he'll succeed. The only way he will stay is if he feels he's getting the training he needs here, and the only way to do that is if I take him on as a full time apprentice. Not only that, but this way I can also watch over his curse mark as well." Kakashi explained, hoping that Tsunade would see reason. Tsunade looked thoughtful, everything he said was right. Sasuke won't stop and the council practically worships him, thus preventing her from imprisoning him for as long as she initially wanted to. She sighed, trying to find a way out of this. Maybe she could reorganize the teams? No that won't work because, despite what the council says, Sasuke **will** be serving some jail time. Not only that, but it will also throw off the teamwork among the teams as well, and she couldn't do that.

"You know that with me training Sasuke full time I won't have any time for Sakura once he gets released. And anyway she could be a good medical ninja. She's got a good memory and excellent chakra control, though she could work on her stamina and taijutsu a bit more, both of which you quite excel at, Hokage-sama." Kakashi stated pointedly, giving her another reason to accept his offer. She sighed, resigning herself to her fate.

"Fine, I'll take her on as an apprentice, but it won't be easy." Tsunade said already starting to mentally plan what she was going to teach her.

"You can tell her that we start a week from now, at around eight. She can meet me in Training Ground 3, after the Uchiha is released from the hospital and thrown in jail. If I'm lucky I can get him in for a good year, maybe two." Tsunade said, subconsciously reaching for the secret compartment in her desk that held her precious sake.

"Arigatou, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said gratefully, bowing to her.

"If that is all then you are dismissed." Tsunade said, sitting down. Kakashi bowed once more before leaving to go find his one female student.

* * *

><p>Ino sighed as she finished packing her bag. Despite her decision to go on this trip she still had her doubts. Both Naruto and Hinata were significantly stronger than she was, and she didn't like being the weakest link holding them back. That was one of the reasons she trained with and without her team, so she could be a valuable member of her team. Despite her fan girlish tendencies she always worked hard, but she guessed it wasn't hard enough if she tied with Sakura of all people who didn't train period.<p>

Since the Chunin exams she has been training her butt off, trying to master her family's famous mind jutsu. So far she was able to learn Shiranshin, and her dad gave her a few pointers on her Shintenshin so she had a higher chance of hitting a moving target. She was proud of her progress, but it still wasn't enough. This training, though it scared her if there was a promise of it being harder than Gai's, it also excited her. If through Gai's harsh training Lee was able to get that fast and strong without the use of ninjutsu, then if Akane's training is harder than Gai's how much stronger would she get? Especially since she will be using ninjutsu as well.

She got up and looked around her room. After deciding that everything was packed she headed out the door, deciding to take one last walk around Konoha for the next three years. She walked out the door, breathing in the fresh air. As she walked down the road she saw a girl with short pink hair and a red dress, smiling to herself. She glared at her former rival and looked straight ahead, avoiding eye contact. Unfortunately the girl ran over to her anyway, still smiling.

"Going on a mission Ino-buta?" Sakura asked, eyeing the bag Ino was carrying. Ino mentally sighed.

"Yes kanban no mayo, I'm going on a special mission." Ino said, quickening her pace. Sakura kept up easily.

"Well guess what? Kakashi-sensei told me that I'm going to get special training from Tsunade-sama! Isn't that great?" Sakura said excitedly. Ino said nothing as she kept walking. Sakura, noticing her lack of response, grinned.

"What's wrong Ino-buta? Jealous that I get special training by The Tsunade of the Three Sannin?" Sakura asked, obviously pleased that she had an advantage over her rival. Ino sighed.

"Though personally I don't really believe you deserve special training I don't really care. Hell maybe Tsunade can actually make you useful on a mission." Ino said smugly, watching as the anger built up in her former rival.

"What did you say Ino-buta!" Sakura shouted, although Ino was right next to her. Ino smiled, enjoying this.

"I don't care if you are going to be trained by Tsunade or not, in case you didn't know Sakura I'm getting special training myself!" Ino said as Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Your dad giving you pointers isn't special training Ino." Sakura said, feeling smug. Ino glared at her, taking a deep breath.

"I was talking about the three year training trip that Hinata, Naruto and I will be going on. We will be training under Akane, who is one of Uzushiogakure's top Jonin, and we will also be training under Jiraiya, who is not only one of the Legendary Sannin, but also taught the Yondaime Hokage." Ino said as Sakura froze in shock. Ino kept walking, leaving her behind. Once she gained a good distance from Sakura with no signs of her following she sighed then made a promise to herself. That when she returned to Konoha after the next three years she would be a top notch Kunoichi. And also that despite Sakura's special training with Tsunade, Sakura would not surpass her, no matter what. And that the next time they fought there would be a definite victor.

* * *

><p>Hinata walked silently down the hallway, hoping to not to disturb her father and Neji's training. As she walked through the compound she thought about her upcoming journey. Who would she meet? What would she learn? How strong will she get? And of course, would she be strong enough to please her father? She constantly asked herself these questions, day in and day out. What if she wasn't as good as Akane initially thought her to be and sent her back here? Of course she trusted Akane's judgment and if Akane thought she was ready and able then maybe she was. But despite this she still felt a sliver of doubt. What if I hold Naruto back from his training? The thought scared her. She wanted to be an asset not a liability. She could not and would not let that happen. She was going to get strong and stay strong! For herself, for Naruto…<p>

"_Don't' hold your teammates back…"_

…and her father.

She took a deep breath and, with her head held high, exited the compound, determination written clearly over her face.

-line break-

He walked towards the gates with his head held high. He had packed his stuff and said his goodbyes and was now walking down the road that would lead him to everything. His strength, his heritage, he would have a family for the first time in years. Not even the glares of the villagers or yelling of his pink-haired teammate could bring him down now.

He noticed that Hinata and Ino were just getting here as he was. He looked at Akane, she had a bag slung over her shoulder as she stood waiting for them. He could see some excitement and anticipation shining in her flame colored eyes as they approached. Looking at Hinata and Ino he could see those same emotions in their eyes, as well as some nervousness but some confidence too. He smiled, he imagined he looked the same way, he could hardly keep from bouncing out of is sandals in anticipation. He saw Akane smile.

"Ready to go you guys? This is your last chance to back out." Akane said, looking at the three of them. She was met with three identical looks of determination, each willing to give it their all. Akane smiled, _'they're going to grow strong.'_

"Well, if you guys are sure, than let's head out, we've got a lot of ground to cover." With that Akane started walking out the gates. With deep breaths the three Genin followed suit, with final glances back at their home.

Before exiting the village Naruto looked up one more time to the Hokage Mountain, eyes resting on the Yondaime's head. _'Just you wait; I'll be back before you know it. And when that time comes be ready, because by this time in three years everyone will know the name Uzumaki Naruto.'_

And with that final thought they set off, goals in mind, with the knowledge that they would not come back the same as when they left.

* * *

><p>AN: I am so sorry for the wait, so much stuff was happening with the band contest in Corpus Christi to the US History AP test (I still have the English III on Wednesday) to the band placement auditions and I've just been busy. But on the bright side, if I am remembering things right, this is the longest chapter in _Three Failures_ that I have actually written! Anyway, our heroes have finally set out! What adventures await them? Keep reading to find out! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please read and review! Constructive criticism is welcome and advice is appreciated!

*Has anyone else noticed this? I mean, the Naruto/Ino interactions, though seldom, have been much like a brother and sister. And the worst thing I (remember) hearing Ino say about Naruto is that he's annoying, and she doesn't say it nearly as much as Sakura. What I've collected from the anime, manga, and games, is that she respects him, and he respects her, but neither really cares to admit it. Plus she has been pretty friendly to him at times. She probably gave him the warmest greeting out of all of his friends, though he was too far to really hear it. She greeted him with a smile and a wave as well as a nice greeting. Though it was hard to hear over the other's loud thinking. Humph… oh well. Anyway, did anyone else notice that, or am I interpreting things wrong?

JAPANESE!

Daijoubu ka? - Are you okay?

Imouto- little sister

Ero-Sennin- Pervy Sage (or perverted hermit, I've seen both translations)

Yatta! - Yeah! (In that connotation)

Arigatou- Thank you

Yondaime- The fourth

Ino-buta – Ino-pig

Kanban no mayo- Billboard brow (Google translate)


	6. Memories

A/N: Thank you to all that reviewed the last chapter!

**Summary:** What happens when a mysterious shinobi shows up with an interesting offer involving three different shinobi? Follow these three shinobi as they go through many different adventures filled with new strengths, discoveries, and a village thought to be destroyed. Follow these three as they go experience joy, sadness, anger and romance. These three aren't coming back to Konoha the same as when they left it.

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Demon/curse mark speech"**

'_**Demon/curse mark thoughts/ inner Sakura'**_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. If I did then Naruto would be a Jonin by now.

**The Three Failures**

**Chapter 6**

The room was in chaos as shinobi and civilian alike shouted at each other. Insults and threats were thrown as the room grew more chaotic.

"Sasuke-sama should not be thrown in jail!"

"That bastard betrayed Konoha!"

"He was being controlled by the curse mark! It's not his fault!"

"Because of him my son was almost killed!"

"Maybe if you trained him properly then he wouldn't have to worry about getting killed Tsume!"

"What did you say!"

Tsunade rubbed her temples. These adults were arguing like little kids and she was growing sick of it. She stood up and slammed her hands on the table.

"Will everybody just SHUT UP before I kick each and everyone of your asses!" Tsunade shouted as the room instantly quieted down.

"Now here is what we're going to do! The Uchiha is going to spend the rest of the week in the hospital to recover, then is going to be sent to jail!"

The room erupted into chaos as the civilian side started protesting.

"SILENCE!*" Tsunade shouted as everything got quiet once more.

"After about a year he will be released and will become Hatake Kakashi's full-time apprentice. Once he's released, however, he won't be doing any missions higher then a D-rank as well as be banned from taking the Chunin exams until deemed worthy. Do I make myself clear?" Tsunade demanded, challenging anyone who would dare to speak out. Nobody was completely happy with the decision, but nobody was completely against it either. Tsunade, after making sure nobody would speak out, stood up straight.

"Alright, now that that is settled, this meeting is adjourned." Tsunade said, dismissing everybody.

Once the last person left the room she sighed, if the council was acting this childish how will Sasuke react?

* * *

><p>"So how long until we get there?" Ino asked, sitting back as she watched the dancing flames. Akane smiled.<p>

"It takes about five days to get from Konoha to Uzushio, so just four and a half more." She answered, watching as the others nodded thoughtfully.

She was pretty glad they had finally started asking questions, they hardly said anything all day and it was getting pretty awkward. What really perplexed her was the fact that two of the three Genin were avid talkers, so why so quiet? Oh well, they were talking now.

"So what kind of things will you be teaching us?" Naruto asked, curious. Akane looked thoughtful.

"Well, first I will work with you on the physical side of things. I'm going to help you increase your skills in taijutsu as well as increase your strength, stamina, and, most importantly, speed. We will also greatly work on your chakra control and capacity, to further increase your skills in ninjutsu. The exercises I have for doing that you will find pretty handy in a fight as well. Then we will work on the mental side of things. A good ninja is smart and I need to make sure that you guys are smart enough to properly evaluate your enemy's strengths and weaknesses as well as being able to come up with good strategies quickly. Of course, along with this mental training I will make sure you can dispel most Genjutsu. There are a lot of Genjutsu users out there and I need to make sure you are prepared." Akane said, pausing for a second as she let that sink in. Then she continued.

"Of course, I'm not going to teach each of you the exact same thing, as you are three different people with different strengths and weaknesses. You are each going to develop your own style of fighting based on that. I'm just going to help you develop your style and help you improve on it." Akane finished as the three Genin looked down in thought once more. She smiled.

"It's getting late; you can ask more questions tomorrow. Right now just go to sleep, okay?" She asked, getting up. The other three got up as well, making their way towards their respective tents. Akane watched them, and then looked up at the stars. She smiled as she watched the constellations, each star giving off it's own respective glow, before heading off to her own tent, leaving a couple of clones to stand guard.

-_The next morning_-

"Naruto wake up!"

"No…Kyoko…imouto…"

"Naruto-kun, it's just a dream wake up!"

"Must…find her…can't be too late…Kyoko!"

_SLAP_

Naruto bolted upright, sweating, looking around quickly as he looked at the kunoichi surrounding him. As he collected his thoughts he quickly realized what just happened. He chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

"Heh heh… eto… good morning?" He said nervously as the kunoichi continued to stare at him. They all had looks of worry in their eyes, especially Hinata.

"D-Daijoubu ka, Naruto-kun?" She asked nervously, a blush on her face. Naruto smiled.

"Of course I am!" He answered, his trademark grin plastered on his face. Ino's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but didn't say anything. Naruto looked around again, noticing that none of them believed him.

"Really, I'm fine! It was just a bad dream is all. No need to get worked up over it." Naruto said, hoping that they would believe him. Finally after a few more moments of silence Akane sighed and left, Ino following close behind. Naruto looked over to the shy Hyuga heir, as she looked down uncertainly.

"I'm fine Hinata; you don't have to worry about me." Naruto reassured her. Hinata looked at him once more before nodding and exiting the tent as well.

* * *

><p>"Alright, that should do it!" Akane said as she put the ink and brush away.<p>

"Okay…so what did you just do?" Naruto asked as he looked at the array of seals on his chest, arms, legs and, though he couldn't see it, back. He looked over to Hinata and Ino. Depsite the fact that their clothes hid them, he had a feeling that they had the same seals put in place. Akane probably put them on while he was asleep, with him being a boy and all.

As he put on his pants and shirt* he couldn't help but notice a mischievous gleam shining in Akane's eyes. Now, normally when he sees that in a person's eyes it doesn't really bother him, most of the time what they are planning doesn't work or is pretty unoriginal. However, they were blood relatives and the gleam that shone in her eyes matches his own when he's planning something. With that thought in mind he hesitantly picked up his jacket and took a few steps back.

Akane inwardly smiled as she watched his hesitation. He knew she was planning something and she had to applaud him for his observation. Not many people could pick that up. She smiled, outwardly this time as she looked at the other two, wondering if they noticed as well. They seemed a bit suspicious but didn't act upon their suspicions. Akane's grin grew wider as she stood up, putting her hands in the tora seal.

"As a part of your training you guys need to work on your physical strength and speed. The seals I put on you will greatly help with that." Akane said, gathering her chakra.

"So how exactly will these-," Naruto's sentence got cut off as he suddenly found himself on the ground with his face in the dirt. Ino and Hinata looked stunned as Naruto struggled to get up, as if his body couldn't support the weight.

"W-What is this?" Naruto asked, struggling to stand. Akane's eyes gleamed.

"Gravity seals, all the benefits of weights but more convenient." Akane answered, looking over to Hinata and Ino who started inwardly panicking. Before they could do anything though they found themselves on the ground as well, struggling and, in Ino's case, inwardly cursing Akane and her training. Akane chuckled a bit.

"Better get used to this, you're going to have to increase the weight in those seals every six months," Akane said, watching amused as they all glared at her.

"What? I said that this training will make Gai's look like child's play. And we haven't even gotten to the actual training yet!" Akane said as they continued to struggle to get up.

After a few more minutes they managed to get on their feet, but with increasing difficulty. Akane walked over to them with their bags, having already packed everything back in them.

"Let's hit the road! We still have four more days until we get to Uzushio and start your training and if we just lounge around all day it could extend into a week, so come on!" Akane said as she started walking. The three Genin just stared at her for a few moments. Akane sighed but kept walking.

"Mind over matter guys, and I'm not slowing down either so I suggest you start walking before I leave you guys behind." Akane said without looking back. Naruto, Hinata, and Ino exchanged looks and sighed, thinking the same thing.

_This was going to be a long three years._

* * *

><p>"What do you mean I'm going to jail!" Sasuke shouted as he struggled with his bindings. Kakashi sighed; he knew that Sasuke wouldn't take this well.<p>

"You have been convicted of treason, Sasuke. You're lucky that you are only going for a year and that you can resume your shinobi duties afterwards. The normal punishment for treason is execution, or, if the Hokage is feeling especially generous, a lifetime in prison along with being stripped of their shinobi status." Kakashi said, trying to reason with the Uchiha.

"But what about my training? What about that Jonin that was going to take three Genin on that special training?" Sasuke questioned, livid. Kakashi looked at Sasuke uncertainly, knowing that he _really_ wasn't going to take this well.

"Well, she left with her three Genin," Kakashi said, slowly taking a few steps back. Sasuke stared at him, shocked.

"Nani! Who did she take!" Sasuke demanded, wanting answers. Kakashi sighed, bracing himself.

"She left yesterday with Naruto, Hinata and Ino," He said; ready to restrain Sasuke should the seals break. Sasuke looked momentarily stunned, saying nothing as he processed that information. Kakashi quickly took advantage of Sasuke's shock, hoping to at least calm him down _before_ he got riled up.

"As for your training you will become my full-time apprentice," Kakashi continued, watching Sasuke carefully. Sasuke shook his head, still shocked, and then looked at Kakashi. He pondered this for a bit.

True he wasn't going on the training mission to be trained by a foreign village's top Jonin. However he _was_ going to be trained by _this_ village's top Jonin. Could have been worse. In fact, now that he thought about it, Kakashi could help him master his Sharingan, something that no other ninja could do besides…._him._ He took a deep breath, although he was extremely pissed that the dobe would be going on that trip as opposed to him, at least he won't have to look for another teacher.

"So…full-time apprentice?" Sasuke asked, making sure they were clear. Kakashi sighed, grateful that he wasn't going on some psychopathic rampage or something.

"Full-time," Kakashi answered, standing up straight.

"What are you going to teach me?" Sasuke inquired, making sure that he wasn't in some blow-off, academy bullshit, but some actual, serious, certain to grow stronger, training. Kakashi looked at him.

"Well, once you're released from jail we'll work on some more Lightning ninjutsu, control of the curse seal, mastery of the Sharingan and maybe even some Kenjutsu. We'll just have to see as we go along," Kakashi answered as Sasuke nodded a bit, pondering this over. He then glared at Kakashi.

"So I assume that you're here to throw me into my cell now?" Sasuke asked, glaring coldly at his teacher. Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

"No, Tsunade-sama says you need the rest of the week to rest before we put you behind bars, but when I do come back to take you to your cell I expect you to cooperate, lest Tsunade extend your punishment," Kakashi answered as he exited the room. Sasuke watched as his mentor left, saying nothing.

* * *

><p>'<em>Alright, she's finally in her tent,' <em>He thought, making sure the other two were in their tent* before creeping quietly out of his.

Once he got far enough from the camp he, after checking to make sure that no one was following him, relaxed a bit. He sighed before sitting at the base of a nearby tree. With these nightmares he's been having he couldn't afford to have the others more suspicious than they already were. It was bad enough that Ino had to slap him out of his last nightmare; he didn't want her to have to do it again, or go to drastic measures. Anyway, maybe sleeping outside in the fresh air will help him, no guarantees but he could try. Plus he wasn't far from the camp, just far enough. If he was lucky nobody would notice until morn-

"Naruto-kun?"

He spun around, staring at the Hyuga heiress. He was so lost in his thoughts he hadn't noticed her approach. As he calmed down a bit from the initial shock of seeing her she spoke softly.

"D-Do you m-mind if I join you?" She asked, looking down at her feet and blushing fiercely. Naruto nodded, scooting over a bit. Neither said anything as she sat down, both engulfed in an awkward silence. After about five minutes Naruto spoke up.

"So what brings you out here Hinata?" Naruto asked, curious. Hinata blushed harder.

"I w-was worried about y-you, Naruto-kun," Hinata answered, looking away. Naruto looked at her and smiled.

"What are you worried about Hinata? I'm perfectly fine!" Naruto said, his trademark grin on his face. Hinata didn't look convinced.

"You were thrashing around in your tent this morning, you've seemed pretty depressed lately, and you couldn't have come out here for no reason," Hinata said, without her trademark stutter. Naruto looked at her, a bit shocked that one, she could pick up on his emotions like that and two, that she cared enough to get past her shyness and talk to him. Only a certain amount of people actually did that. He looked down and sighed. Hinata, noticing this, looked at him.

"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, mentally cheering that she was able to stop her stuttering, if only temporarily. Naruto looked hesitant, something he rarely ever was.

"Please Naruto-kun, you can tell me anything," Hinata said, hoping he would open up to her now like he did at the Chunin exams. After a few more moments of hesitation, he finally answered.

"It's my nightmares, or really, bad memories," He said, looking at her. Hinata looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"What happened?" She asked, glad that he was opening up. He sighed.

"It's a long story," He said, hesitant again.

"It's a long night," Hinata said, persistent. Naruto looked at her, wondering if he had rubbed off on her already. He sighed again.

"Well, it started when we first started the academy. You see, I had a twin sister, Kyoko." Naruto paused, gauging her reaction. Hinata stared at him, shocked. _He had a sister?_ Naruto smiled.

"I don't blame you for not remembering her, it was so long ago and she only went for a few days," Naruto said as Hinata got over her initial shock. She nodded for him to continue.

"We were very close, doing everything together. From playing outside to playing pranks, we were inseparable," Naruto continued, smiling.

"Unfortunately we didn't really have any other friends. You know how the villagers treat me," Naruto said, Hinata nodded.

"Well, we always relied on each other, through thick and thin. We always tried to make friends as well, even sometimes going to extremes. Well, one day this one kid, Satoshi I believe, said that a group of renegade ninja had been located in the forest. He said that if we could bring back a kunai of theirs than we can hang out with them*," Naruto said as Hinata looked shocked. Naruto continued.

"We rejected their offer at first, being that it was completely stupid. But Satoshi and his gang insisted, claiming that they were gone, that a group of our Jonin had already captured them. He kept saying that it was safe, that all we had to do was go to the place where they fought with our Jonin and retrieve a kunai. Simple, right? Well after they said that I told Kyoko that maybe we should go. She looked a bit skeptical, it was still pretty dangerous, and they could have been lying. But I insisted, stating that we knew those woods like the back of our hands. Plus, this could be the opportunity to make friends and prove our worth that we've been waiting for. Anyway I was sure that those guys weren't stupid enough to send a fellow academy student into a forest full of renegade shinobi, no matter how much they may hate them. I gave them too much credit," Naruto said as Hinata gasped.

"We went deep into the woods, searching for a stray kunai. We found one, however the renegades found us. They attacked and we ran, as fast as our legs could go, as they chased us, throwing kunai, shuriken and various other weapons. Kyoko and I got separated at one point, and once we found each other again I saw that she was hurt. One of the weapons, probably a kunai, had apparently hit her leg, so she was forced to slow down. When I caught up to her we hid in a nearby tree, having temporarily lost those ninja. I tore off part of my shirt to act as a makeshift bandage until we got help. Unfortunately soon after one of the ninja found us and dragged Kyoko out. I grabbed Kyoko's hand in an attempt to save her, but I got dragged out as well. I don't know exactly what happened at this point, but I remember a blow to the head and falling to the ground. I had tried to get back up and saw Kyoko leaning against a tree, holding a bleeding shoulder. Next thing I know one of the ninja stabbed me with their sword, and I was on the ground again, watching as the ninja went over to my sister, sword in hand. I wanted to help, but I couldn't move. I saw my own fear reflected in her eyes. The last thing I saw before blacking out was the flash of a blade and a look of pain in her eyes," Naruto said, as Hinata covered her mouth in shock. He continued.

"I woke up in the hospital three days later, Iruka at my bedside. Apparently he had been the one who found me and brought me back. I asked him where Kyoko was. But he said that he hadn't found her when he found me, there was no body, just blood, and lots of it. He said that they had sent out some search parties, but none of them found her. They gave up after the first two days, stating that, if the injuries I had matched hers, which they did, than she wouldn't have survived the rest of the first day," Naruto finished, looking down. Neither of them said anything as Hinata processed all of this. He had gone through so much and at such a young age too.

"I haven't told anyone this besides Iruka and the old man," Naruto said, as Hinata looked at him. She smiled softly.

"I'm happy you trust me enough to share this with me," She said, then looked at him with concern.

"This must have been very hard to say, sorry for making you say it," Hinata apologized, feeling guilty. Naruto shook his head and smiled a true, genuine smile.

"You didn't make me say anything. And even if you did I'm glad that you did. It feels nice to get this off of my chest after so long," Naruto reassured her. Hinata smiled.

"Glad that I could be of service, I'm just glad that you are feeling better," Hinata said, blushing a bit. Naruto looked at her.

"You know, you're really easy to talk to." He commented as Hinata blushed again.

"Well, I'll always be there if you want to talk," She said, looking away as her shyness returned. Naruto smiled again.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," He said. Hinata looked up at the stars, watching the constellations.

"It sure is a beautiful night," She said, eyes glowing. Naruto looked at her, watching as her lavender eyes turned white under the full moon. He smiled once more.

"It sure is."

* * *

><p>Akane watched the two as they drifted off to sleep together, Hinata's head falling onto Naruto's shoulder. She smiled, wondering how they were going to react when they woke up. Her mischievous nature tempted her to take a picture and use it as blackmail. But, as she kept watching them, she decided against it. Maybe next time she will, but at the moment she knew that this wasn't an appropriate time.<p>

She got up from the branch she was sitting on and, sparing one last glance at the pair, jumped away, headed for the campsite. As she sent one of her clones to keep watch she looked thoughtful.

'_Kyoko huh? Hmmm… this could get interesting.'_

* * *

><p>AN: And that was the sixth chapter! Before I say anything though I want to apologize for the practically one month wait. I am so sorry! There were three things that kept me from writing this chapter: Busy schedule, availability (or lack thereof), and writer's block. I've been busy, and when I wasn't busy, the computer wasn't available, and when I wasn't busy and the computer wasn't busy I had writer's block! Sorry if it sounds like I'm making excuses, I would like to say that now that it's summer vacation I'll have more free time to write. However I can't really say that as I will be traveling quite a bit this June and July, then in August I have band camp until school starts so my summer might not be as free as one might think. However I will try and update as much as I can, and I will _try_ and get the next chapter up next week, but no promises. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the NaruHina moment I threw in at the end. I know that chapter itself was pretty iffy, like I said I had writer's block (which sucks by the way). So yeah, Sasuke will be in jail for about a year, and Kakashi will be training him. Also Naruto, Hinata and Ino are will be arriving in Uzushiogakure next chapter so stay tuned! Also, I would like to thank all of those who have reviewed so far; I really, really appreciate it! Anyway please review this chapter and tell me what you think! Like it? Hate it? Constructive criticism is welcome and advice is appreciated!

*…I KILL YOU!...Sorry, that was the first thing that came to my head when I wrote that….

* I know you guys probably figured this out already, but just in case you haven't Naruto was in his boxers when Akane put the seals on him.

*Akane has her own tent (cause she's the Jonin), Naruto has his own tent, because he's the only boy, Hinata and Ino share a tent.

JAPANESE

Nani- What

Daijoubu ka- Are you okay?


	7. Impossible!

A/N: Thank you to those that reviewed!

**Summary:** What happens when a mysterious shinobi shows up with an interesting offer involving three different shinobi? Follow these three shinobi as they go through many different adventures filled with new strengths, discoveries, and a village thought to be destroyed. Follow these three as they go experience joy, sadness, anger and romance. These three aren't coming back to Konoha the same as when they left it.

"Normal speech"

'_Thoughts'_

"**Demon/curse mark speech"**

'_**Demon/curse mark thoughts/ inner Sakura'**_

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto…yeah…that's all I'm saying.

**The Three Failures**

**Chapter 7**

Naruto was amazed, no astounded. A five day journey plus a nice little mountain climbing adventure filled with the magic of deadly traps, projectile weapons and a few creatures that would better belong at Training Grounds 44, otherwise known as the Forest of Death.

Needless to say, they were miserable. Oh yeah, and did he forget to mention that they did all of this with gravity seals that seemed to come straight from Hell? Yep, and after this stimulating little adventure they stood here face to face with the worst possible obstacle that they could face at this time. It was worse than the barrage upon barrage of poisoned senbon, the multiple Genjutsu, the gigantic hawk that appeared out of nowhere and carried him off, having mistaken him for a mouse, even worse than the gravity seals from Hell. It was… it was…

A dead end.

They looked at Akane as she walked up to the wall of stone that stood before them. She then looked at them and smiled, which kind of pissed him off, especially since she didn't have a scratch on her nor did she look even faintly exhausted, as opposed to him, Hinata and Ino who looked more like they had fallen off of the mountain then were used as one of Lee and Gai's training dummies.

"Well, here we are. What do you think?" Akane asked, turning to them with a smile on her face. They stared at her, then the dead end, then back at her again. Ino looked over to Hinata and him, confusion in her eyes.

"Is anyone else slightly worried?"

Akane just laughed at her response and turned back to the wall, making hand signs. They watched on carefully as she finished in the Tora seal before putting her hand on the stone.

"_Kai!"_

Their eyes widened as the stone shifted and moved to reveal the entrance to a tunnel. Akane nodded in satisfaction before turning to the three Genin, each of whom had expressions of shock written across their faces. She chuckled again before walking into the tunnel, gesturing for them to follow. Once all three were in, the entrance closed in on itself again, engulfing them in total darkness. Or it would if not for the strange blue glow that lit the tunnels, enabling them to see the different pathways and tunnels that led to who-knows-where. The three Genin looked at her.

"Care to explain what just happened, where we are and why the walls to these tunnels are glowing?" Ino asked, too annoyed and exhausted to care about formalities. Akane smiled as she continued walking, leading them through the tunnels.

"It's one of the village's many defenses. You see, in order to rebuild Uzushio we had to keep reconstruction a secret, lest one of our rivals decided to attack us before we were ready. In order to do this the Uzukage rebuilt the village in a location that was protected with natural defenses; the mountains, the tunnels, and the wild animals," Akane said, watching in amusement as Naruto winced at the mention of wild animals, the hawk obviously still fresh on his mind. She continued.

"Well, in addition to these natural defenses the Uzukage added a few more defenses using his clan's specialty, fuinjutsu. You see, the reason why we were able to get through was because there was a special seal put in place that only Uzushio shinobi know how to get past. On top of that, even if someone were able to get past it they would still have to find their way through these hundreds upon hundreds of different tunnels in order to get to the village. With the time that the intruder spends searching for the right tunnels the shinobi of the village will already be alerted and will be able to take down said intruder before they can even come close to the village," Akane explained, quite proud of the village's defense system. Our three Genin nodded for a moment, thinking.

"Wait, how does the village know when someone is in the tunnels? You said so yourself that there are hundreds upon hundreds of them in here," Ino asked, curious. Akane smiled.

"Well, why don't we ask our Hyuga friend? I'm sure she figured it out." Akane asked, looking at Hinata. Hinata looked startled for a bit before taking a good look at the tunnels.

"Chakra. These tunnels have chakra running through them," Hinata answered, looking at Akane. The Jonin nodded her head before facing back down the path.

"Correct. You see, there are special seals put in place all over these tunnels that emit a steady flow of chakra throughout them. Whenever someone is in here there is a slight disturbance in the chakra flow caused by that person's chakra. Our sensors are able to pick up on this and can tell if it is a familiar chakra signature or a foreign one. They are also able to tell where the disturbance is and how much of a threat they seem to be," Akane said, continuing through the tunnels.

"Impressive. And all this using fuinjutsu?" Naruto asked, astounded that sealing could go such a long way.

"You'd be surprised at what fuinjutsu can accomplish, but then again, wasn't the Yondaime Hokage a seal master?" Akane asked, amused. Naruto nodded absentmindedly, thinking.

"So you have a clan that specializes in fuinjutsu?" Ino asked, a bit surprised.

"Is there a problem with that?"

"It's not that, it's just… fuinjutsu isn't really that…popular of a ninja art," Ino answered. Akane smiled.

"And you believe that the reason for that is because it's not that useful in an actual battle; am I right?" Akane asked, amused as Ino started blushing in embarrassment. She laughed.

"Well that's partially true. Most ninja don't understand how useful sealing can be in a fight, so they opt not to learn it. However, the main reason it's not popular actually lies more in the fact that most ninja don't understand it. It's a complex art that a single person has yet to realize the extent to which it can be taken. The way that one drop of ink, one misplaced line can cause catastrophic results, it's a difficult art to master. In fact, they say that the only way one _can_ master it is if they have the talent for it. _That's _why most ninja opt not to use it outside of sealing weapons and carrying messages," Akane explained, her Genin, yes _her_ Genin, looking down in thought.

"So… this clan… they all specialize in fuinjutsu?" Naruto asked, wanting to know a bit more about his new found family.

"Well, most of them. They all have a knack for it but some choose to specialize elsewhere," Akane answered.

"You said that most ninja don't understand it's usefulness in combat, but how _can_ it be used in combat, besides sealing weapons?" Ino asked, still curious.

"Well, it can be used in many different ways. A common misconception about fuinjutsu is that its usefulness lies in storing material items, much like a common backpack. However, if one is experienced enough in the art then one can do things from sealing off someone's chakra to creating a barrier that is borderline impossible to get through. One could summon great beasts using fuinjutsu, or seal them away. And don't forget that explosive notes are made from seals as well," Akane said, thinking.

"You can't forget about the gravity seals as well. Although they are mostly used for training you can also use a makeshift one to stun your opponent as well as slow them down," Akane said.

"A makeshift one?" Naruto asked, curious. Akane nodded.

"Obviously you can't sit your enemy down and cover them in seals during combat, but you can imprint the main part of it onto your enemy like other seals. It won't be nearly as effective, but it will buy some time in combat," Akane explained.

"But wait, if you can make a makeshift one that quickly in combat, then why is the complete one so extensive? I mean, I understand that it would be a bit more complex, but you put seals up and down our arms, legs, chest, and back. Why is that?" Ino asked, slightly confused.

"Good question. You see, the one used in combat won't be nearly as heavy, plus it will wear off after about an hour. Plus it will only increase the weight on wherever you put it, so if you put it on someone's torso their arms will still be free. On top of that, it doesn't have any of the security measures that are normally used for the training ones," Akane said.

"Security measures?" Hinata asked, also curious.

"Yes. You see, when the seal is put in place it uses your chakra system against you, making it denser and heavier. This alone can actually cause problems because it can mess with your chakra control and actually has the potential to cause massive damage to your chakra coils. In fact, this seal actually originated to keep prisoners in place," Akane said, watching as three pairs of eyes widened. She chuckled.

"Don't worry, that's why we have several security measures in place. One of them is a counter seal that counteracts that certain aspect. It allows your chakra to flow regularly and also allows the seal to adjust to the person so, although it will still feel heavy, it will allow the person to get used to the extra weight," She explained, watching as her Genin calmed down a bit.

"Anyway, another security measure is the control seal put in place. You see, if you actually carried as much weight as the seals seem to be carrying, then you guys would weigh much more than you actually do, though that is just common sense. But I want to show you guys something. Naruto pick up Hinata," Akane ordered, momentarily pausing in their walking. At this Hinata instantly turned red and looked down as Naruto hesitated for a second.

"N-Nani?" He asked, a bit surprised at the sudden command.

"You heard me. Pick up Hinata," Akane said again, looking at them expectantly. They looked at her for a moment before putting down their bags.

"O...kay," Naruto said, looking over to Hinata, who was still beet red, but still walked over to him. He looked at her for a second before picking her up bridal style. He was a bit shocked by how light she was, despite the seals. He looked over to Akane, who had a smile on her face.

"Well?" She asked, still smiling.

"She's light. I can't even tell that there's a gravity seal on her," He answered truthfully, as she weighed about as much as he presumed she would be, though without the seals. Akane nodded.

"Exactly. This control seal allows the sudden increase in weight to remain internal, so you can feel it, but it keeps your body at your normal weight. This is in place for several reasons. First, it will keep people from knowing you have these seals so if you are to fight with someone you have an ace up your sleeve. Second, it will keep you from falling through whatever you're standing on. Third, and probably the most important, is that in the case of an emergency, like you're injured and there are no medics around, this will allow your comrades to take you to a hospital or to any form of help without worrying about the seals," Akane explained as the others nodded.

"Now let's get a move on. We are almost to the end and I'd like to get out of here," Akane said as she continued to walk.

"Also, I know that you two are probably enjoying this, but Naruto you should probably put Hinata down. You can hold your girlfriend later, right now we just need to get out of here," She teased, smiling as they started blushing in embarrassment.

"W-we're not… S-She's not-," Naruto started stuttering as he quickly put Hinata down. Akane laughed.

"Could have fooled me, with you guys sneaking away at night I thought there was something going on between you two," She said, continuing to tease them. They both turned even redder at that, if that was possible. Ino looked confused.

"Wait, you two were sneaking out at night? Why am I just finding out about this now?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"W-we were just-… w-we didn't do anything!" Naruto tried to explain as Hinata looked like she was about to pass out.

"Sure sure, we believe you," Akane said as they started to calm down a bit. She then smirked.

"Just use protection." Hinata fainted right then and there. Akane laughed as Naruto started freaking out.

"Akane!"

"Gomen, gomen, I couldn't help myself," She apologized, still chuckling.

* * *

><p>True to her word it only took them five more minutes to get to the end of the tunnels. Well, five minutes after they woke up Hinata from her recent fainting spell. The sight that greeted them upon exiting was astounding. After their eyes got used to the sunlight they saw what looked to be a huge basin of water with several whirlpools as well as an island out in the middle. But that wasn't the thing that astounded them the most, what astounded them the most were the several waterfalls and the view of the mountains surrounding them. The way that the water glistened and complimented the already beautiful mountains was truly a sight to behold.* Akane smiled.<p>

"You ready for a crash course in whirlpool walking?" She asked, chuckling a bit at how their expressions went from awe to horror.

"Whirlpool walking?" Ino asked, slightly scared. Akane nodded.

"Of course, this is another one of the defenses of the village. These whirlpools are actually made by the Uzukage and kept going by seals that are constantly renewed, just like in the tunnels. I assume you all have learned the water walking exercise, correct?" She asked, watching as they all nodded.

"Good, because it will be hard enough to just learn this," Akane said as she stepped out onto the water. She watched as they hesitated a bit.

"Come on, it's either this or swim all the way to the island. And just so you know, it's harder to get through whirlpools when you're underwater, plus you've got to worry about the marine life to worry about, which isn't all that different from the other animals that live in these mountains," She said, watching as they paled a bit, especially Naruto. After a few more seconds of hesitation they walked out onto the water, following Akane.

"Don't worry. You guys won't be fully learning this exercise yet, just enough to get you across. Anyway, since you won't really be learning the exercise you guys will probably just try to walk across the whirlpools, fail, then I'm fishing you guys out of the water every time we come across a whirlpool," Akane said in a reassuring tone, though somehow they didn't feel all that reassured.

"Let's go, unless you want to waste all of your chakra just standing here," Akane said as she started walking. The three sighed and quickly started walking after her, making sure to stick close.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting, the skies were turning different shade of orange and pink, and Naruto was royally pissed. It took hours to get to the village, not because it was that far from the tunnels, in truth it was only a half hour walk. No, it took hours because half the time they were getting sucked to the middle of a raging vortex with Akane having to come in and fish them out. At this point he was sure that she was just trying to torture them. She was a sadist who enjoyed making them suffer for the next three years. And because they were cousins he knew that she would come up with some pretty creative stuff in order to make them suffer.<p>

He looked over to Hinata and Ino. Both were drenched and exhausted, much like he was. Thinking over their little whirlpool adventure though made him a bit nervous though. Like Akane said before they haven't even started the actual training yet, if this was just casual walking then what _would_ the training be like. He paled a bit at that, it wasn't until now that he fully believed her when she said that this would make Gai's training look like child's play. If this kept up he knew that he would be lucky just to survive this training.

"We're here, the Uzukage tower." Akane said as they walked into a huge building similar to the Hokage tower back at Konoha.

As they climbed the steps leading to the Uzukage's office they couldn't help but wonder what he would be like. Would he be serious? Would he like them? Naruto normally didn't think about these things, but this was his grandfather, his family. He wanted to make a good impression. Once they got to the top of the steps they walked down a hall filled with different pictures. Some seemed to be of the village, others were filled with shinobi. They stopped at a red door with the kanji for 'whirlpool' on it and knocked.

"_Enter!"_

With one last look at each other they walked into the office, carefully shutting the door behind them. Sitting at the desk in front of them was a man with red hair tied back in a ponytail, grey eyes and a serious expression. Although he seemed to be about as old as the late Sandaime Hokage, he had only a few wrinkles and radiated an aura of power that was pretty intimidating.

"Hey Ojii-san, I'm back," Akane greeted, shocking Ino and Hinata. The man smiled, the intimidating aura replaced by a cheerful and welcoming disposition.

"Akane, okaerinasai. I take it these are the Genin?" The man asked, looking at Ino, then Hinata. His eyes widened when he looked at Naruto though, a look of shock crossing his features.

"Hai. This is Yamanaka Ino, Hyuga Hinata and… Uzumaki Naruto," She said, gesturing to each of them and watching the man carefully when she introduced Naruto. The man looked at her in shock.

"Impossible, he should be dead!"

* * *

><p>AN: (I got the lines back!) Wow, I am incredibly sorry for the one to almost two month wait. I have just been traveling a lot. Been to four different states not including my own. _But_ I am back now and the updates will be getting more frequent and more on schedule. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And sorry for all of the explanations in this chapter as well as my lame attempt at humor. But next chapter you will get more of Uzushio, this I swear. Anyway please review! Like it? Hate it? Give me your opinions! Constructive criticism is welcome and advice is appreciated! Also I figured that since this is a training fic than maybe I should keep track of their progress. So here I go.

Naruto: Ninjutsu-3, Taijutsu- 2, Genjutsu- 1, Mind- 1.5, Strength- 3, Speed- 3, Stamina- 4, Hand signs- 1.

Hinata: Ninjutsu- 1.5, Taijutsu- 3, Genjutsu- 1, Mind- 3, Strength- 1, Speed- 2, Stamina- 1.5, Hand signs- 2.

Ino: Ninjutsu- 3, Taijutsu- 1.5, Genjutsu- 1.5, Mind- 2.5, Strength- 1.5, Speed- 2.5, Stamina- 2, Hand signs- 2.5.

This was all according to the data books, not my own assessment. Anyway I was thinking of showing their improvement after each year they completed. What I'm asking is should I? If you don't think I should than I won't, but if you do I will. Please tell me.

*Please don't tell me how this isn't possible. If it helps the location is mostly man-made in order to fit and protect the village.

JAPANESE!

Nani- what

Gomen- sorry

Ojii-san- grandfather

Okaerinasai- Welcome back (or welcome home, not sure which)

Hai- yes (formal)


End file.
